


Prevention

by soongtypeprincess



Series: Married Coppers [10]
Category: Life on Mars (UK)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, Drug Use, Established Relationship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Kid Fic, Overdosing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-29 23:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14483898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soongtypeprincess/pseuds/soongtypeprincess
Summary: The morning began with the discovery of a young girl, 16 years old.





	Prevention

**Author's Note:**

> I stink at summaries.
> 
> I DO NOT OWN THE CANON LIFE ON MARS CHARACTERS!!

Sam rolled onto his back and stretched his arms wide, groaning out the stiffness in his shoulders. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and saw that it was one in the morning, and also that Gene was not in bed.

He heaved a sigh. It had been a trying day with another drug bust. Heroin. It seemed to be everywhere lately, but two more dealers were taken off the streets today. The morning began with the discovery of a 16 year old girl. She was found in a decrepit shack near a construction site, lying next to an older man on a stained mattress. The shack was littered with candy wrappers, take away containers, and spent syringes with bent needles.

The older man was pallid and thin, his arms tattooed and his eyes shrouded in dark blue circles. He was alive, but the girl, half-naked with a needle still in her arm, was staring up at them with empty eyes.

Another OD. This would be the fourth one in three weeks. The dead girl’s companion, who was still dazed and high, had answered Gene’s questions and eventually gave him the names of their source.

“She’s lucky,” the man said, looking up at Sam with broken down eyes.

After the dealers were taken into custody, Gene allowed Sam and Ray to do the interview, choosing to retire to his office. Sam could see that Gene’s mind would not have been focused anyway if he had joined them. He appeared to be in deep thought. He offered to make him a cup of tea, but he just shook his head and closed his office door.

Sam knew that Stuart was on his husband’s mind. How could he not be? His own brother had OD’d on the stuff, and here was Gene: mopping up heroin dealers and finding dead bodies every week. Sam knew better than to ask him about it, knew that it would be futile to comfort Gene at this time as it would only be fuel for another fight, so he decided to let Gene come to him when, or if, he was ready to talk.

Sam sat up in bed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at the mess of pajamas that had been strewn about the floor, Gene having tossed them aside after he peeled them off of Sam last night. He put on his pajama bottoms and went to the chest of drawers to fetch a clean vest. He heard the soft murmuring of the television downstairs in the sitting room, and he walked down the corridor past Ruthie’s room and then down the stairs.

He found Gene gently rocking in his recliner with Ruthie cradled in his arm, her legs resting across his lap. Her head was nestled in the crook of his neck as he stroked her hair. Sam could see the distant gaze in his eyes again as he stared at the television.

“Tyler,” he whispered when he felt Sam’s presence beside the chair.

“Hey,” Sam replied. “She have another dream?”

“Yeah. I was awake anyway.”

“I didn’t even hear her,” Sam said.

“I heard her crying when I came out the lav. She was sitting in bed, in the dark, just crying. She wouldn’t stop.”

“Poor thing.”

“We had a glass of milk and a Penguin,” Gene said, “then she was out like a light.”

Sam reached down and ran his fingers through Gene’s hair, but Gene did not stir. He continued to look ahead, his jaw tightening.

“Guv,” he whispered. “Talk to me.”

Gene sighed. “I'm alright, love. I’m just tired.”

“There’s a reason you are. What is it?”

“The reason I’m tired is because I can’t sleep,” Gene answered, closing his eyes.

Sam could hear the tension in his voice, and he didn’t say another word, just continued to stroke his sandy blonde locks away from his temple.

“Stu overdosed, you know?” Gene finally muttered. “Did I ever tell you?”

Sam ceased his fingers and placed his hand on the recliner. “You’ve briefly mentioned it.”

“Found him passed out in a shed,” Gene continued, “just like the one we found the dead girl in. He was barely hanging on, Sam. I put him in me car by myself and drove like a madman to hospital.”

Sam knelt down in front of him and put his hand on his knee.

“I don’t remember much once we got there, but I do remember that...he was talking to me from the backseat on the drive there.”

Gene paused and Sam squeezed his hand. “What was he saying?”

“It was all mumbling,” Gene replied, “but I could hear him repeat my name. He was telling me take him back to where I found him. I kept telling him he was gonna get better...I would help him get clean. I’d make sure he was in a good facility and…”

He stopped again and kissed his sleeping daughter’s forehead. “When we got to A&E, I opened the door to get him out...and he was gone, Sam. Stone cold. But he looked peaceful. I had found him after years of searching all over Manchester, and when I finally did...I was too late.”

“Guv,” Sam sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

He felt his fingers being squeezed and gave him a sad grin. “S’funny, really,” he said. “It feels a bit better telling you this. I never told anyone. Not even Mum. She still thinks he died in the shed. I’ve never told her that he spoke to me.” He sniffed and pulled his hand away and caressed Ruthie’s cheek. “I worry so much for this girl, Sam.”

“I do, too, love.”

“Stu’s so-called friends got him hooked on the stuff,” Gene said, “and he shut out everyone else. We used to be close, peas in a pod, we were.”

“Are you scared that Ruthie’s going to have so-called friends like Stu did?” Sam asked.

“Could happen. It’s spreading fast here; I can’t stop it. This is my city and I can’t fucking stop it.” Gene licked his lips and rested his cheek against Ruthie’s head. “Seeing that dead girl today...I’ve seen a lot of dead girls in my career, Tyler, but...this one hit me hard. Could be because I’m a dad. Could be because I was thinking of that girl's parents, or how long she had been consorting with that tattooed, tweaked-out bastard we found her with...he didn’t even give a toss that she was dead.”

Sam raised his eyes to him again and bit his tongue. He couldn’t tell Gene what that tweaked-out bastard had said to him, that the girl was lucky. It wouldn’t help matters.

“She has _us_ , Gene,” he assured him. “We can teach her what it looks like, what it does.”

“Who says that will stop her?”

“Gene, she’s seven.”

“What are we going to do when she’s _seventeen_?” Gene asked.

Sam stood and kissed his temple. “Let’s put her to bed, Guv. And _you_. We can’t solve this today.”

Gene finally looked at him and Sam could see how exhausted he was. His eyes were wet and there was a faint redness on the tip of his nose, as if he had been crying to himself.

Sam didn’t point it out, but only reached out and brushed his finger across his cheek. “Come to bed, darling.”

Gene nodded and carefully got out of his chair and Ruthie let out a soft groan as she shifted in his arms, turning to him and putting her arms around his neck.

He embraced her as he carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom where he laid her on her back. He placed Bertram in the crook of her arm and drew the sheet up to her chest.

Gene leaned down and kissed her cheek and stroked her temple with the tip of his nose and whispered, “I love you, little Mouse.”

Sam stood in the hallway and watched as he shut her door and left it ajar. Gene approached him and laid his forehead on his. “I don’t want to lose her,” he whispered. “Or you.”

“Bedtime, Guv,” Sam said and softly kissed his lips.  


End file.
